Clearing the Confusion OverView:Merlin is a medival charater surrounded by legends and mystery. There are many different theories about who he is, when an where he lived, what he did, and if he even existed. Throughout history Merlin mentored King Arthur, prophesied many upcoming events and completed many magical feats. Some research has even lead some to believe that there were two different people with the name Merlin in the same time period. Throughout the last couple of weeks I have tried to resolve the confusion that is Merlin (or Myrddin).
The Many Faces of Merlin:
Merlinus- Latin form
Myrddin- from Geoffrey of Monmouth
Merlin Calidonius- Geoffery of Monmouth- in his book called Vita Merlin or "Life of Merlin"
fictional bard named Myrddin- Welsh book of poems- The Black book of Carmarthen
Merlin Ambrosius- from Geoffrey of Monmouth- may or may not be the same person even
Myrddin Wylt- from French historians
Emrys or Ambrosius- Welsh historians Nennius and Vortigern
Merlinus Ambrosius- Geoffrey of Monmouth ( Merlin Emrys in Welsh)
Menw fab Teirwaedd or Menw son of Teirwaedd-Welsh natives in Mabinogian
Lailoken- Scottish legend
How Merlin's appearances
he appeared as a young boy with no father
an old wise man freely giving advise to the kings
an old fool who couldn't contain his lust for beautiful womwn
and a madman who fled to the forest after a bloody battle and learned to talk to animals.
the last of the druid, Celtic shaman, Priest of nature, and keeper of knowledge.
Merlin's Possible Roles in King Arthur :
adviser
brad
enchanter
prophet
sorcerer
touter
wizard
magician
Childhood: The Prophet Boy
Merlin's known Family:
Mother-
normally seen as a nun
May have been a nun of royal birth
May have been a princess of Dyfed- daughter of a sub-king0- another account told that it the king of Demetia of Wales
Father-
Nennius wrote that he was a Roman ConsalWasn't a human
Is sometimes an angel that left the mother with a child
Merlin's enemies tell that his father was a demon or the Devil himself and that the evel child was to provide counter weightto the good influnce Jesus had on the earth. Then the evil child was baptized in Early Life to rid it of the evil energy.
Because of his link to a demon and God Merlin has great knowledge and powers of the two opposing forces
In Geoffrey of Monmouth's Life of Merlin, he tells that Merlin has a Sister and a Wife. There is no mention of parents and this is the only text that mentions a wife.
Merlin's Young Magic:
Dragons
When Merlin was a child King Vortigern lost much of his territory and fled to wales, where he decided to build a fort. Everyday he build part of his wall then it would fall down. Vortigern was advised to find a boy with no human father and to kill him, mix his blood with mortar and use it to build his walls. Then they would stay standing. Merlin was brought to the king, but before he could kill him Merlin explained that the wall was collapsing because it was being build above where two dragons , one white and one red, were caged underground. Everything merlin said was true, the Dragons rose up out of the ground and fought. Merlin then foretold a serious of prophesies about Britain. The significants of the two dragon fighting each other was that the future kings of Britain would drive the Saxons out of the country, but inevitably, the Saxons would overcome them and rule. The red dragon represented the Britons, while the white dragon was seen as he Saxons. He also fore told that the Boar of Cornwall shall drive out the Saxons giving relief to the Britons. Cornwall was the banner of Arthur, Son of Uther. Merlin also fore told that 6 descendants of Arthur shall rule after the great King before Saxons would return and conqure Britain.
Nennius tells a similar vers
Older magic:
Uther Pendragon 's name
After Vortigern's death, Merlin advised Aurelius Ambrosius of bringing the large bluestone from Mount Killaraus in Ireland and setting it in a circle of stone known as the Giant Ring in Sailsbury England. Ambrosius and Uther had to fight a serious of battles to do this. One night Merlin and Uther saw a comet in the sky. Where the tail streaked the sky to light up in the shape of a dragon. Merlin infomormed Uther that his brother (Aurelius Ambrosius) had died of piosioning and that he was now the King of Britain. This dragon became the symbol of his kingship and Merlin gave him the surname "Pendragon"- hence Uther Pendragon.
It was here, for the first time that Merlin was seen as a wizard. He had used magic to help move the stone. His magic also allowed Uther to disguise himself.
Merlin became involved in the conseption of Arther when Uther fell in love with Duke Gorlois's wife, Igraine. Gorlois was duke of Cornwall and one of Uther's allies in the war against the Saxons. Gorlois was offended when he learned of Uther's feelings for his wife could not contain his feelings for his wife.Gorlois withdrew his support to Uther.Gorlois thought to protect Igraine in his strongest castle in Tintagel, while he fought Uther in anothe castle. Uther could not control his lust and obsession for Igraine and asked Merlin for help seducing her. Merlin used his magic to to transform Uther into Gorlois's double so that no one including Igraine could recognize Uther. Gorlois was killed and the king married the newly widowed Igraine, she gave birth to Arthur.-according to Geoffrey of Monmouth's account this was the end of Merlin's involvment in Arthur's life.
Adulthood: Tales
The Wild Man of the Woods,Geoffery's Vita Merlin in Merkin Calidonius & Welsh legend of Myddrin
- Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini (Life of Merlin)
Merlin was a bard and a lawgiver in Demetia, a region in southern Wales. Merlin took part in the war between Peredur of the Venedotians against Guernolus of Scotia and King Rodarch( Geoffrey never gave a name to this battle, but in Welsh it was called Arfderydd). Merlin was overcome with grief at the death of Peredur's three brothers in battle. His grief overwhelmed his sanity so that he had gonemad and ran into the forest of Calidon.During this time he not only lived like animals but he had the ability to speak to the wild animals in the forest. For a moment Merlin regained his sanity when he heard some music played by his sister Ganieda. Ganieda was also the wife of King Rodarch. Merlin returned to the court only for awhile. Madness returned because there were to many people, and Merlin fled back into the forest. Rodarch tried to pursue his stepbrother, but Merlin refused so the king had him return in chains. Ganieda took care of her brother. Merlin told the king that Ganieda had met her love under the tree earlier. Ganieda told her husband that he was still suffering from madness. To prove that Merlin was either mad or sane, Rodarch asked Merlin to see the fate of one of the boys in the court. Merlin saw this boy three times each time he gave a different answer. Merlin said the boy would die from a fall. The second time Merlin said the boy would die from a tree. The third time Merlin said that the boy would die in a river. With the three-fold death Rodarch decided to dismiss Merlin's accusation of his wife's adultery. So the king released his brother-in-law. Merlin decided to go back to the woods, but before he did he told his wife Gwendoloena that she had his permission to marry someone else. However Merlin also warned that he would bring a gift to her on her wedding day,but that the groom should not see him on that day. While merlin was in the forest his prediction about the boys death came true. The boy fell off a rock where his foot got caught in the tree, where he was hanging upside down with his head in the river and he drowned. Rodarch realized that Merlin was a true prophet and that he must have been right about his wife's adultery. On the day of Gwendoloena's weeding she saw her ex-husband from the window. He had mounted a stag leading a heard of deer and stags into the court. Gwendoloena laughed at the strange sight. The sound of her laughter brought her finance to the window, there form he had broken the rule. Then Merlin snapped off one of the stag's antlers and hurled it at the finance's head which killed him. Merlin was brought back to the castle but returned for making another true predication. In the woods Ganieda had build a large building with 70 doors and 70 windows. Merlin foresaw Rodarch's death and told Ganieda that she should bring Taliesin to him. Taliesin informed that he had the Isle of Avalon, bringing with him Arthur wha was wounded in battle. The Isle was ruled by the nine sisters. The were all sorceresses famous for their healing and ability to fly.Morgan le Fay the most powerfu and beautiful of the sisters told Taliesin that they could heal the King only if he stayed with them. Ganieda was over come by a frenzy giving her the power to see the future, and the tale ended with Merlin retiring as a prophet and his sister taking over his job.
-Welsh legends of Myrddin --The welsh version is more unclear. There are many different peoms and accounts of Myddrin in these legends.
In the poem "Afallenau" ("Apple Trees") Myrddin had been horrified by the slaughter of his people brought on by Rhydderch. Who was Gwenddydd's ( Myrddin's sister) husband. Rhydderch was angry with Myrddin because he had killed his son. Although warriors were all around him,the apple tree that Merlin perched in hid him from the men.
In the poem Oianau Myrddin lamented the loss of Gwenddolau, his lord, and how far he had fallen.Isolated from his peers with only a small pig for company, Myrddin talked to the pig as if it were human.
In "Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin" the poems involve a Discussion between Myrddin and the great mythical bard Taliesin over several battles and some prophetesses about Britain.
Overwhelmed by the remorse of the death of his sister's son Myrddin fled to the forest where madness overcame him and he lived as th wild man in the woods. Myrddin found sanctuary in the apple trees where he hid from the men of Rhydderch. It was during his madness that he became gifted with prophecy and foretold a less than bright future for he Welsh people.
In another manuscrupt known as The Red Book of Hergest there is another poem called Cyfoesi Myrddin acei Chwaer Gwenddydd (The Conversation of Myrddin and his sister Gwenddydd) Gwenddydd encouraged her brother to prophesy. At the end of the Poem she earged him to to accept communion from God before he died, but Myrddin refused to receive communion from excommunicated monks. If he had to receive any communion it would be directly from God.
King Arthur and Merlin
According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace, and Layamam Arthur's conception Merlin was never present during Arthur's reign. However many later writers say that Merlin was involved with Arthur's education. According to French writer Robert de Boron,at Arthur's birth, Merlin gave the infant to sir Antor (Malory called him Sir Ector in Arthur's Early Life ) to raise.Antor was the father of Sir Kay. When Uther died it was Merlin who informed the barons of Logres that only a person , one who could draw the sword from the stone, would be the rightful king. Merlin was largely responsible for putting the crown on Arthur's head.Merlin was also involved in Arthur's provided strategy to win the war against the rebel Barons. When Arthur broke the sword that had named him king, Merlin brought Arthur to the lake where he received a new sword from Lady of the Lake Where he got the true Excalibur . Merlin told her that sheath would protect you from any weapon. Which Morgan le Fey later stole.Merlin foretold the greatness of sir Lancelot and Sir Tristan even though Merlin diapered shortly after Lancelot was born.
It was said that the knight who sat in the seat if danger would succeed in the quest of the holy grail. This knight was Perceval. Merlin mentered
Perceval on his journey. Another Grail hero was Galahad, son of Lancelot. Merlin continued his role as a prophet and sees many events that are related to the quest. The greatness of Lancelot and Tristan, the two greatest lovers, as well as their greatest fight. Merlinforesaw that Arthur's desire to marry Guinevere would bring ruin to Arthur and the kingdom, yet he was powerless to disrupt Arthur from his love. Merlin also foretold the treachery of Morgan le Fey who stole Excalibur. Merlin foretold The Death of Arthur , Balin, and Sir Pellinore .
Another student has already chosen The Departure of Merlin as a topic for their own wiki. One of the theories is that Morgan le Fey's treachery is to blame. Bibliography
Created by: Cari Zellmann
Clearing the Confusion
Over View:Merlin is a medival charater surrounded by legends and mystery. There are many different theories about who he is, when an where he lived, what he did, and if he even existed. Throughout history Merlin mentored King Arthur, prophesied many upcoming events and completed many magical feats. Some research has even lead some to believe that there were two different people with the name Merlin in the same time period. Throughout the last couple of weeks I have tried to resolve the confusion that is Merlin (or Myrddin).
The Many Faces of Merlin:
- Merlinus- Latin form
- Myrddin- from Geoffrey of Monmouth
- Merlin Calidonius- Geoffery of Monmouth- in his book called Vita Merlin or "Life of Merlin"
- fictional bard named Myrddin- Welsh book of poems- The Black book of Carmarthen
- Merlin Ambrosius- from Geoffrey of Monmouth- may or may not be the same person even
- Myrddin Wylt- from French historians
- Emrys or Ambrosius- Welsh historians Nennius and Vortigern
- Merlinus Ambrosius- Geoffrey of Monmouth ( Merlin Emrys in Welsh)
- Menw fab Teirwaedd or Menw son of Teirwaedd-Welsh natives in Mabinogian
- Lailoken- Scottish legend
How Merlin's appearancesMerlin's Possible Roles in King Arthur :
Childhood: The Prophet Boy
Merlin's known Family:
Merlin's Young Magic:
- Dragons
- When Merlin was a child King Vortigern lost much of his territory and fled to wales, where he decided to build a fort. Everyday he build part of his wall then it would fall down. Vortigern was advised to find a boy with no human father and to kill him, mix his blood with mortar and use it to build his walls. Then they would stay standing. Merlin was brought to the king, but before he could kill him Merlin explained that the wall was collapsing because it was being build above where two dragons , one white and one red, were caged underground. Everything merlin said was true, the Dragons rose up out of the ground and fought. Merlin then foretold a serious of prophesies about Britain. The significants of the two dragon fighting each other was that the future kings of Britain would drive the Saxons out of the country, but inevitably, the Saxons would overcome them and rule. The red dragon represented the Britons, while the white dragon was seen as he Saxons. He also fore told that the Boar of Cornwall shall drive out the Saxons giving relief to the Britons. Cornwall was the banner of Arthur, Son of Uther. Merlin also fore told that 6 descendants of Arthur shall rule after the great King before Saxons would return and conqure Britain.
- Nennius tells a similar vers
Older magic:Adulthood: Tales
The Wild Man of the Woods,Geoffery's Vita Merlin in Merkin Calidonius & Welsh legend of Myddrin
- Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini (Life of Merlin)
Merlin was a bard and a lawgiver in Demetia, a region in southern Wales. Merlin took part in the war between Peredur of the Venedotians against Guernolus of Scotia and King Rodarch( Geoffrey never gave a name to this battle, but in Welsh it was called Arfderydd). Merlin was overcome with grief at the death of Peredur's three brothers in battle. His grief overwhelmed his sanity so that he had gonemad and ran into the forest of Calidon.During this time he not only lived like animals but he had the ability to speak to the wild animals in the forest. For a moment Merlin regained his sanity when he heard some music played by his sister Ganieda. Ganieda was also the wife of King Rodarch. Merlin returned to the court only for awhile. Madness returned because there were to many people, and Merlin fled back into the forest. Rodarch tried to pursue his stepbrother, but Merlin refused so the king had him return in chains. Ganieda took care of her brother. Merlin told the king that Ganieda had met her love under the tree earlier. Ganieda told her husband that he was still suffering from madness. To prove that Merlin was either mad or sane, Rodarch asked Merlin to see the fate of one of the boys in the court. Merlin saw this boy three times each time he gave a different answer. Merlin said the boy would die from a fall. The second time Merlin said the boy would die from a tree. The third time Merlin said that the boy would die in a river. With the three-fold death Rodarch decided to dismiss Merlin's accusation of his wife's adultery. So the king released his brother-in-law. Merlin decided to go back to the woods, but before he did he told his wife Gwendoloena that she had his permission to marry someone else. However Merlin also warned that he would bring a gift to her on her wedding day,but that the groom should not see him on that day. While merlin was in the forest his prediction about the boys death came true. The boy fell off a rock where his foot got caught in the tree, where he was hanging upside down with his head in the river and he drowned. Rodarch realized that Merlin was a true prophet and that he must have been right about his wife's adultery. On the day of Gwendoloena's weeding she saw her ex-husband from the window. He had mounted a stag leading a heard of deer and stags into the court. Gwendoloena laughed at the strange sight. The sound of her laughter brought her finance to the window, there form he had broken the rule. Then Merlin snapped off one of the stag's antlers and hurled it at the finance's head which killed him. Merlin was brought back to the castle but returned for making another true predication. In the woods Ganieda had build a large building with 70 doors and 70 windows. Merlin foresaw Rodarch's death and told Ganieda that she should bring Taliesin to him. Taliesin informed that he had the Isle of Avalon, bringing with him Arthur wha was wounded in battle. The Isle was ruled by the nine sisters. The were all sorceresses famous for their healing and ability to fly.Morgan le Fay the most powerfu and beautiful of the sisters told Taliesin that they could heal the King only if he stayed with them. Ganieda was over come by a frenzy giving her the power to see the future, and the tale ended with Merlin retiring as a prophet and his sister taking over his job.
-Welsh legends of Myrddin
--The welsh version is more unclear. There are many different peoms and accounts of Myddrin in these legends.
In the poem "Afallenau" ("Apple Trees") Myrddin had been horrified by the slaughter of his people brought on by Rhydderch. Who was Gwenddydd's ( Myrddin's sister) husband. Rhydderch was angry with Myrddin because he had killed his son. Although warriors were all around him,the apple tree that Merlin perched in hid him from the men.
In the poem Oianau Myrddin lamented the loss of Gwenddolau, his lord, and how far he had fallen.Isolated from his peers with only a small pig for company, Myrddin talked to the pig as if it were human.
In "Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin" the poems involve a Discussion between Myrddin and the great mythical bard Taliesin over several battles and some prophetesses about Britain.
Overwhelmed by the remorse of the death of his sister's son Myrddin fled to the forest where madness overcame him and he lived as th wild man in the woods. Myrddin found sanctuary in the apple trees where he hid from the men of Rhydderch. It was during his madness that he became gifted with prophecy and foretold a less than bright future for he Welsh people.
In another manuscrupt known as The Red Book of Hergest there is another poem called Cyfoesi Myrddin acei Chwaer Gwenddydd (The Conversation of Myrddin and his sister Gwenddydd) Gwenddydd encouraged her brother to prophesy. At the end of the Poem she earged him to to accept communion from God before he died, but Myrddin refused to receive communion from excommunicated monks. If he had to receive any communion it would be directly from God.
King Arthur and Merlin
According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace, and Layamam Arthur's conception Merlin was never present during Arthur's reign. However many later writers say that Merlin was involved with Arthur's education. According to French writer Robert de Boron,at Arthur's birth, Merlin gave the infant to sir Antor (Malory called him Sir Ector in Arthur's Early Life ) to raise.Antor was the father of Sir Kay. When Uther died it was Merlin who informed the barons of Logres that only a person , one who could draw the sword from the stone, would be the rightful king. Merlin was largely responsible for putting the crown on Arthur's head.Merlin was also involved in Arthur's provided strategy to win the war against the rebel Barons. When Arthur broke the sword that had named him king, Merlin brought Arthur to the lake where he received a new sword from Lady of the Lake Where he got the true Excalibur . Merlin told her that sheath would protect you from any weapon. Which Morgan le Fey later stole.Merlin foretold the greatness of sir Lancelot and Sir Tristan even though Merlin diapered shortly after Lancelot was born.
Merlin and **The Holy Grail**
It was said that the knight who sat in the seat if danger would succeed in the quest of the holy grail. This knight was Perceval. Merlin mentered
Perceval on his journey. Another Grail hero was Galahad, son of Lancelot. Merlin continued his role as a prophet and sees many events that are related to the quest. The greatness of Lancelot and Tristan, the two greatest lovers, as well as their greatest fight. Merlinforesaw that Arthur's desire to marry Guinevere would bring ruin to Arthur and the kingdom, yet he was powerless to disrupt Arthur from his love. Merlin also foretold the treachery of Morgan le Fey who stole Excalibur. Merlin foretold The Death of Arthur , Balin, and Sir Pellinore .
Another student has already chosen The Departure of Merlin as a topic for their own wiki. One of the theories is that Morgan le Fey's treachery is to blame.
Bibliography